Chapter 66: Satisfactory Rewards

"The disciples ranked from one thousandth to five hundred and first will receive one hundred contribution points."

The moment the elder announced the first reward, a small wave of discussion spread through the square.

One hundred contribution points wasn’t an enormous amount, but it was still enough to exchange for some useful cultivation resources.

For disciples who had fought their way into the top thousand, it was at least something to show for their efforts.

"At least I didn’t come here for nothing."

"One hundred contribution points... not bad."

"If I had advanced another fifty places, I could have gotten even more."

A few disciples whose rankings were close to the five-hundredth place couldn’t help sighing. If their rankings had been slightly higher, their rewards would have been much better.

The elder waited until the voices gradually died down before continuing.

"Those ranked within the top five hundred will receive two hundred contribution points."

The atmosphere immediately became livelier.

"Two hundred!"

"That’s twice as much!"

"I knew entering the top five hundred would be worth it."

Several disciples who had secured positions within that range revealed excited smiles.

For ordinary inner disciples, contribution points were extremely valuable. They could be exchanged for cultivation resources, techniques, pills, weapons, and various other things within the sect.

"Those ranked within the top one hundred will receive two hundred contribution points, along with three days of cultivation at the Ninefold Pill River."

"Ninefold Pill River?"

"Seriously? Three days?"

"That’s actually the best reward!"

Even some disciples who had remained calm until now couldn’t hide the excitement in their eyes.

The Ninefold Pill River was one of the most valuable cultivation grounds available to the inner disciples.

Ninefold Pill River? Long Feng’s eyebrows also rose slightly. He had heard of this place before.

According to what he knew, the spiritual energy there had been nourished by medicinal essence for countless years. Cultivating there could greatly increase the efficiency with which a cultivator absorbed and refined spiritual energy.

For a Golden Core Realm cultivator who hadn’t yet reached the peak, three days there could save months of ordinary cultivation.

Long Feng’s eyes gradually brightened. He had initially thought that the contribution points would be the most useful reward.

But compared to three days at the Ninefold Pill River, those points were nothing special.

If he can make good use of those three days, perhaps he can advance another level. The thought immediately made him somewhat interested in the reward ceremony.

The elder continued after allowing the disciples to calm down.

"The Ninefold Pill River is only useful to disciples who still have room to improve within their realm."

"The medicinal energy within the river is extremely powerful. However, it also contains medicinal residue. If a cultivator absorbs too much without properly refining it, that residue will gradually accumulate within the body and affect their foundation."

The disciples nodded. They were naturally aware that powerful cultivation resources also came with certain limitations.

The elder’s gaze swept toward the highest-ranked disciples.

"Next... the top ten."

The entire square instantly fell silent. Countless gazes turned toward the enormous ranking board.

The atmosphere changed completely. Everyone knew that the disciples ranked within the top ten were the strongest inner disciples of this generation.

Even Long Feng became interested.

He had seen their names on the ranking board before, but this was the first time he would see the strongest ten disciples stand together.

The elder glanced at the strongest disciples of the inner sect stood in front of the crowd.

Each one possessed an extraordinary temperament, and the aura around them was far stronger than that of ordinary Golden Core Realm cultivators. Without exception, all of them had reached the peak of the Golden Core Realm.

The crowd became increasingly excited.

"So many peak Golden Core experts!"

"Of course. They’re the top ten!"

"I heard that several of them have deliberately suppressed their cultivation."

"That’s right. Breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm would make them core disciples. They’ve probably been accumulating for years."

"Then their actual combat power must be terrifying."

The ranking tournament wasn’t simply a competition between cultivation realms.

These people had deliberately remained at the peak of the Golden Core Realm while continuously strengthening their foundations and combat abilities.

In other words, their cultivation realm might be the same. But their actual strength could be vastly different.

"All ten of you are outstanding geniuses of our Azura Heaven Sect. Your achievements during this ranking tournament have been recognized by the sect."

He raised his hand.

"Each of the top ten disciples will receive five hundred contribution points and a fifth-rank pill."

The square erupted. A wave of excitement immediately spread through the crowd. Even some disciples who weren’t among the top ten couldn’t help showing envy.

Five hundred contribution points was already a considerable amount. And a fifth-rank pill was even more valuable.

The top-ten disciples themselves remained relatively calm, but their eyes still flashed slightly when the fifth-rank pill was mentioned.

The elder continued. "However, because all ten of you have already reached the peak of the Golden Core Realm, you will not receive the three-day cultivation opportunity at the Ninefold Pill River."

No one objected.

Everyone understood the reason.

The Ninefold Pill River is helpful for increasing cultivation in short amount of time.

But once a cultivator reaches the peak of the Golden Core Realm, their next step is the Nascent Soul Realm. but then again, they will no longer remain as inner disciples and instead core disciples.

They would naturally lose their qualification to participate in the ranking tournament.

That was why the Ninefold Pill River’s reward was mainly given to the top hundred rather than the strongest disciples.

For those who had already reached the peak of the Golden Core Realm, their priority was no longer simply increasing their cultivation.

They weren’t unable to break through.

Some of them had even deliberately suppressed their cultivation for years.

Rather, they wanted to spend more time strengthening their bodies, refining their techniques, and increasing their combat power.

That’s why there are so many peak Golden Core experts among the top rankings. Their cultivation realms might be the same, but their actual combat power was likely vastly different.

The elder looked toward the ten disciples standing before him.

"As for the disciple ranked first..."

The crowd immediately quieted. The first-ranked disciple also raised his gaze.

"The first-ranked disciple will receive all the rewards mentioned earlier and an additional special reward."

The square immediately exploded into discussion.

"What is it?"

"Why isn’t the sect announcing it?"

"It must be something extraordinary."

The elder smiled. "You will know when the sect decides to reveal it."

The mysterious answer only made everyone’s curiosity stronger. Even Long Feng couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

The reward ceremony continued. The fifth-rank pills were handed to the top ten disciples one after another. Their contribution points were transferred directly into their disciple tokens.

The cultivation qualification for the Ninefold Pill River was also recorded for the disciples ranked within the top hundred.

After that, the remaining rewards were quickly distributed.

Soon, the ceremony finally came to an end. The square, which had been filled with thousands of disciples, gradually became noisier as everyone began discussing the results.

Some disciples were excited about their rewards. Others were discussing the top ten.

Those who had entered the top hundred were already discussing when they would go to the Ninefold Pill River.

Long Feng glanced toward the ranking board one last time and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Let’s go."

Turning around, Long Feng began walking toward his residence.

Long Feng walked back toward his residence, his mind already turning toward his next plan.

He had just learned that the top hundred disciples could cultivate there for three days.

That was exactly what he needed. His external injuries had already recovered considerably, but the damage inside his body was another matter.

If the Ninefold Pill River really contained such rich medicinal energy, perhaps he could use those three days to completely recover.

’I should definitely go there.’

With that thought, Long Feng quickened his pace.

But before he could take many steps, something strange happened. The space around him suddenly distorted.

"Huh?"

Long Feng’s expression changed.

The scenery in front of him began to blur.

It was as if the entire world had suddenly become a painting thrown into water. The surroundings twisted and shifted, and before he could even react, the space around his body changed completely.

’What the hell?!’

Long Feng’s pupils contracted. He instinctively circulated his spiritual energy, but there was nothing he could do.

There was no attack or killing intent. This isn’t kind of spiritual energy fluctuation that he could understand.

But this didn’t last long as only after a few moments, everything became clear.

Steady his body, Long Feng found around to see this unknown place. This was a spacious hall.

Where am I?

His gaze immediately swept across the surroundings. Ancient decorations, simple furnishings and a faint fragrance lingering in the air.

And directly ahead of him sat an old man on a chair.

Long Feng’s eyes narrowed. t was the same red robbed elder who had silently appeared inside his room.

He immediately understood what had happened. This elder had brought him here through some kind of spatial technique.

’Just how terrifying was his cultivation?’

Long Feng quickly suppressed his shock and cupped his fists.

"Greetings, Elder."

The red-robed elder glanced at him. But before he could say anything else, another voice suddenly came from behind him.

"So you’re the disciple who caused all that commotion?"